Ideal Transformer and

Practical Transformer
Ideal Transformer

An ideal transformer is one that has

1. no winding resistance
2. no leakage flux i.e., the same flux links both
the windings
3. no iron losses (i.e., eddy current and
hysteresis losses) in the core

Although ideal transformer cannot be physically

realized, yet its study provides a very powerful
tool in the analysis of a practical transformer. In
fact, practical transformers have properties that
approach very close to an ideal transformer.

Consider an ideal transformer on no load i.e.,

secondary is open-circuited as shown in figure.
Under such conditions, the primary is simply a
coil of pure inductance.

When an alternating voltage V₁ is applied to the

primary, it draws a small magnetizing current
Iₘ which lags behind the applied voltage by 90°.
This alternating current Iₘ produces an
alternating flux ϕ which is proportional to and
in phase with it.

The alternating flux ϕ links both the windings

and induces e.m.f. E₁ in the primary and e.m.f.
E₂ in the secondary. The primary e.m.f. E₁ is, at
every instant, equal to and in opposition to
V₁ (Lenz’s law). Both e.m.f.s E₁ and E₂ lag
behind flux ϕ by 90°. However, their
magnitudes depend upon the number of
primary and secondary turns.

Phasor Diagram of
Ideal Transformer
The phasor diagram of an ideal transformer on
no load is also shown above.

Since flux ϕ is common to both the windings, it

has been taken as the reference phasor.
The primary e.m.f. E₁ and secondary e.m.f.
E₂ lag behind the flux ϕ by 90°.

Note that E₁ and E₂ are in phase. But E₁ is

equal to V₁ and 180° out of phase with it.

Practical Transformer
A practical transformer differs from the ideal
transformer in many respects. The practical
transformer has
1. iron losses
2. winding resistances and
3. magnetic leakage, giving rise to leakage
reactances.

1. Iron Losses
Since the iron core is subjected to alternating
flux, there occurs eddy current and hysteresis
loss in it. These two losses together are known
as iron losses or core losses.
The iron losses depend upon the supply
frequency, maximum flux density in the core,
volume of the core etc.

It may be noted that magnitude of iron losses is

quite small in a practical transformer.

2. Winding resistances
Since the windings consist of copper
conductors, it immediately follows that both
primary and secondary will have winding
resistance. The primary resistance R₁ and
secondary resistance R₂ act in series with the
respective windings as shown in figure.

When current flows through the windings, there

will be power loss as well as a loss in voltage due
to IR drop. This will affect the power factor and
E₁ will be less than V₁ while V₂ will be less than
E₂.

3. Leakage reactances
Both primary and secondary currents produce
flux. The flux ϕ which links both the windings is
the useful flux and is called mutual flux.

However, primary current would produce some

flux ϕ which would not link the secondary
winding. Similarly, secondary current would
produce some flux ϕ that would not link the
primary winding.

The flux such as ϕ₁ or ϕ₂ which links only one

winding is called leakage flux. The leakage flux
paths are mainly through the air. The effect of
these leakage fluxes would be the same as
though inductive reactance were connected in
series with each winding of transformer that
had no leakage flux as shown in figure.

In other words, the effect of primary leakage

flux ϕ₁ is to introduce an inductive reactance
X₁ in series with the primary winding as
shown. Similarly, the secondary leakage
flux ϕ₂ introduces an inductive reactance X₂ in
series with the secondary winding.

There will be no power loss due to leakage

reactance. However, the presence of leakage
reactance in the windings changes the power
factor as well as there is voltage loss due to IX
drop.
Note.
Although leakage flux in a transformer is quite
small (about 5% of ϕ) compared to the mutual
flux ϕ, yet it cannot be ignored. It is because
leakage flux paths are through air of high
reluctance and hence require considerable
e.m.f. It may be noted that energy is conveyed
from the primary winding to the secondary
winding by mutual flux f which links both the
windings.